


Closed Door, Open Heart

by bananasandroses (achuislemochroi)



Series: Whofic [52]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: 2X04 (The Girl in the Fireplace), Angst, F/M, Tenth Doctor Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-12
Updated: 2015-06-12
Packaged: 2018-04-04 03:40:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4124338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/achuislemochroi/pseuds/bananasandroses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Reinette, he has to face Rose.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Closed Door, Open Heart

She's given Mickey the Grand Tour of the place; since then, after shaking him off, she's been lying on her bed wondering what the hell she should do now. It's only a matter of time before she'll need to deal with the Doctor; he'll come knocking at her door eventually. It's what he does, after all.

She'd left him in the console room, unable to articulate how she felt in the face of his obvious distress. She knows that closed-off face of his too well, it's one of the few traits that survived regeneration. She let Mickey pull her away, despite her reluctance to leave the Doctor alone in that state, and she's been worrying about him ever since.

And there it is. A soft knocking at the door that she could pretend not to hear if she chooses. But she's never done that before, and isn't about to start now.

"Who is it?"

She knows well enough who it will be. Mickey would probably just have barged in by now, after all; but she tries to maintain the pretence a little longer.

"It's me."

Oh, she knows that tone of voice. She's heard it from him too many times to count; it's the exhausted sound of somebody who needs comfort, a man who's been hurt, and badly, far too often, and her heart contracts in pity for him even as she makes up her mind not to give in.

She walks to the door, and opens it a little way. She chooses not to see how he seems distinctly under par, how he seems to be using the door frame to keep himself standing. She can't let herself see, not and do what both of them need right now. She needs to be the strong one, for both of them.

"Can I come in?"

She shakes her head.

"No, Doctor. Not right now."

"Rose ..." he says, drawing the single syllable of her name out in the way that only he can.

"I said no," she repeats, gently but firmly. At the look on his face, her voice softens even more as she explains.

"You're upset, I'm upset," she says, and she doesn't miss the look – guilt? frustration? she can't quite make it out – that flickers across his face as she speaks. "We'd just end up arguing; one of us would say something we'd regret if we talked about it now. Let's leave it 'til the morning, yeah?"

His face falls; she sees him close his eyes and swallow hard, and for a few seconds she feels a twinge of guilt strong enough for her to consider giving in. But then he opens his eyes and smiles at her with that gentle smile of his, the one he seems to keep just for her, and his eyes are suspiciously bright as he looks down at her.

He nods slowly, turning away, but stops when she puts her hand on his arm.

"Doctor?"

"Rose."

"I'm sorry."

He nods again, and his smile this time is barely there but she catches it at the edges of his mouth as it flickers and disappears.

"I know," is all he says, and he is gone.


End file.
